This invention relates generally to a collapsible container and pallet assembly for transporting products by carrier, and particularly to an assembly wherein the container is formed from a plurality of separate blanks of corrugated plastic folded to form upright side walls and lid flaps.
Many types of folded cardboard, fiberboard, and plastic cartons, boxes, and tote containers are known to the art. Similarly, there are known a variety of wooden, plastic, and fiber shipping pallets, such as those used with hand trucks, fork lifts, or specially designed commercial carrier cargo transport compartments.
In some applications the fabrication of an integral container and pallet assembly has proven desirable, particularly for shipping partially completed products from a first plant to a remote location where assembly or fabrication is completed, with the container and pallet assemblies being returned by air or other carrier to the original plant for reuse. One example would include the stamping or cutting of fabric sheet goods into patterns, with the patterns being completed and assembled at the remote location. For this purpose, conventional metal pallets with molded plastic or wooden containers have been utilized.
However, such assemblies are heavy and therefore expensive to ship, and cannot be folded or collapsed to minimize return costs. They are also subject to breakage if dropped or struck in transit, therefore requiring replacement of the entire container or assembly.